About Us

Membership

Membership in the Florham Park Public Library is open to residents of Florham Park. Those employed in Florham Park who live outside Morris County and the surrounding Open Borrowing Areas may get a Courtesy Card for use at the Florham Park Public Library and Morris County Library. Membership requires an application for a free library card. Benefits of becoming a member includes access to all the following Services and Resources.

Services

A wide range of services is available at the Florham Park Public Library.

Reference services are provided in the Library, by telephone at (973) 377-2694 or by email to reference@florhamparklib.org. The staff can answer your questions and assist you in the use of both print and electronic resources.

The Library offers a variety of programs throughout the year for children, teenagers, and adults as shown on the website events list. There is a Second Sunday @ the Library series of events for adults at 2pm on the second Sunday of every month from September through April. In addition, a printed quarterly newsletter outlining the programs is available at the library or from our Home page. Any revisions to the programs will be posted at the Library or on our website calendar.

Interlibrary loan services are available. We can assist you in getting materials that are not available in the M.A.I.N. system.

There are 14 public access computers in the main part of the library, 12 of them providing free Internet access, as well as eight other computers in the children’s section of the library. In addition, there are two computers with one shared printer in the Young Adults section that were generously donated by the Friends of the Florham Park Library. All of the library printers are color printers. The library has 3 scanners for public use; one connected to a PC and one that scans directly to your flash drive. Fax service is available for a small fee, as well as, a black and white copier.

The Library is a wireless hotspot providing Internet access for users with wireless-enabled devices. The wireless network is not connected to the library’s printers. The entry lobby has a café area where patrons can enjoy refreshments while using the wireless Internet access. Anti-virus, security and privacy protection is the responsibility of the user. The Library has an Internet Access Policy and a Wireless Internet Usage Policy in place.

Resources

The Library offers a collection of books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and games, over 59,000 items, for the public. In addition, there are a number of electronic resources available. EBooks, audiobooks, magazines and songs can be accessed or downloaded from the Digital section of the FPPL website. There are a number of interactive online resources to support learning on the Learning section of the FPPL website. If you need to do research, we offer a wide range of databases that include but are not limited to literary criticism, car repair, full text magazines, antique prices. Please explore the Research section of the website to discover the amazing amount of information the Florham Park Public Library is making available for you.

There is an Outspoken Library PC for use by the patrons who are unable to read books but wish to listen to them. This is a service from the NJ Talking Book and Braille Center which is facilitated by the library on a local level.

Beyond Our Walls

The Library is part of the Morris Automated Information Network (M.A.I.N.), a consortium of 37 public libraries in Morris County. The online catalog shows the holdings of the member libraries. Cardholders may request and renew in person or by using the online catalog from all the member libraries.

If you cannot locate items in the M.A.I.N catalog, try using Jersey Cat, a database of the holdings of New Jersey public and academic libraries provided by the State of New Jersey. For more information, contact us.

Open Borrowing is a reciprocal borrowing program which allows Florham Park Public Library members to visit and check out materials from participating libraries in Passaic, Warren, Susssex and many other counties. To use this program visit the Florham Park Public Library and ask for an Open Borrowing sticker for your library card. You may then visit any participating library and check out materials while you are there. One caveat, you must return the materials to the library where you borrowed them.

The Library Building

Expanded and renovated in 2005, the 16,000 square foot building has two reading areas for adults, one for young adults and one for children. The entry lobby has a café area where patrons can enjoy refreshments while using the wireless Internet access.

There is a large meeting space, The Akhoury Room, and a small quiet study room. The Akhoury Room seats 75 people and can be divided for smaller groups. The New Jersey Room seats 10 and is suitable for small group meetings or quiet study. These rooms are for the use of non-profit groups whose membership is predominately Florham Park residents.

When these rooms are not being used for library programs, they may be reserved for use by community groups with a Florham Park resident sponsor. Groups may apply to reserve rooms under the meeting room policies established by the Library Board.

Library Board of Trustees

The Library Board of Trustees is the governing and policy making body of the Library. The Board is responsible for the use of the building and property, for personnel policies and hiring of staff, and for preparation and control of the budget. The Board consists of the Mayor and the Superintendent of Schools or their alternates plus six members who are appointed by the Mayor to five-year terms:

Library Board of Trustees

Term expires

Donna Rose (President)

12/31/16

Louis Gaydosh (Treasurer)

12/31/14

Joseph Guerin, Jr.(Secretary)

12/31/15

Robert Reimers

12/31/17

Richard Thayer

12/31/18

Stacy Saul

12/31/18

Thomas Michalowski (Mayor’s Representative)

Jane Stumpf (School’s Representative)

The Board customarily meets on the third Monday of each month (except in August) at 7:00p.m. in the Library. Meetings are conducted according to the Sunshine Law. Minutes of the meetings are available to the public upon request.

Mission Statement

It is the purpose of the Library to serve the community with books and other media in a manner that is cordial and efficient and equitable. The Library strives to provide the people of the community of Florham Park with quality library service through its collection of books and other media delivered by a staff and overseen by a Board of Trustees who see the library as an informational, educational, cultural and recreational resource of the Borough.

Policies

Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Library provide support with their annual appeal. Donations can be mailed or delivered to the Library. Funds realized from the appeal provide enhancements to regular library service.